


Echoes from Siberia

by kestiscroft



Category: Tomb Raider & Related Fandoms, Tomb Raider (Video Games)
Genre: Enemies to Allies, Enemies to Friends, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:28:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25580608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kestiscroft/pseuds/kestiscroft
Summary: This is more so a team up fic than anything else.  Let me know what you think!
Comments: 17
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is more so a team up fic than anything else. Let me know what you think!

The evening air had grown surprisingly cold. The Mission of San Juan wasn’t clustered with as many trees as Paititi, allowing the air to carry freely through the market. Lara found herself welcoming the change. She took off her Remnant Jacket and tucked it away, leaving her in just a tank top. The cold didn’t really bother her anymore, not after Siberia. The jungle was just so _sticky_ and _confining_. It made her think of Yamati…

Lara had never told anyone, but sometimes she saw flashbacks of what happened there. More so the island than Siberia. In Soviet Installation she had been somewhat prepared. And at the time she had a purpose, to help the Remnant at all cost. But the island… it had been a pure nightmare. She had been taken so off guard and had gone through so much.

It would be the little things that set her off. Like the way a tree looked or a sound that made her think of the Stormguard… or the Deathless. She would find herself frozen for a moment when it happened. Most of the time it quickly passed.

She would never tell Jonah about it. He would just worry for her more than he already did. She didn’t need to put that on him. Especially after she thought she had lost him last night. What Rourke had said on the radio had terrified her. She couldn’t do any of this without Jonah. And she couldn’t handle any more losses after Unaratu. 

Even though Jonah was, thankfully, fine. She still thought about getting revenge Rourke. That sick man had killed Unaratu and threatened to kill Jonah. He needed to be stopped at all cost. But now, she needed a chance to breathe for a moment.

Jonah and Abby were off having dinner at the local restaurant. They had been insistent that she joined them, but she had refused. It was good that they got to spend time together alone. And besides, she wasn’t that hungry. She never really was. Jonah could concur with that. Instead she had opted for a beer as she rested along the mission gate. She watched the sun slowly set in the distance.

As soon as the sun dipped below the horizon, she threw the bottle away and left the confines of the mission. Lara needed to do something, explore, hunt, anything to get her mind off what had happened last night. She took her bow off her shoulders and checked her sidearm. Both were ready to go. She didn’t know what she was going to find out here.

The trees grew denser with each step she took. There wasn’t anything in particular she was looking for, just simply exploring. The silver box of Ix Chel could wait until the morning. Trinity wouldn’t be showing up anytime soon. Commander Rourke was probably still licking his wounds from the destruction of the oil fields. And Dominguez was most likely grieving the death of his sister-in-law.

That meant she was safe, at least for the night. Not that she was ever truly safe… but the threat of Trinity was put on hold. 

A strong wind rushed through the jungle. Her bangs flapped in her face. She really needed a haircut when this was all over. Her hair was always in her face when she was trying to shoot. She tried tucking her bangs behind her ears, but they immediately fell in her face again.

‘ _Typical_ ’ She thought.

Despite the chill of the wind, the jungle was peaceful. Condor birds flew overhead. Their wings cast shadows on the jungle floor.

A noise came out of the bush beside her. On instinct, she notched an arrow, ready to kill anything that crossed her. Two more rustles came from the bush before an adorable primate jumped out. It had brown fur and a long tail. It was almost smiling at her.

Lara found herself smiling back. “Hey little guy.”

The primate slowly inched forwards to her. Lara reached into her satchel and pulled out a protein bar. She broke a piece off and handed it over. The primate immediately took it from her and nibbled on it.

“You like that huh?” She laughed. This was the first good moment she had in a long time. It had been so long… she hadn’t truly known peace since before Yamati and maybe not even then.

Lara’s smile faded when she realized that the primate had backed away from her. Its eyes had grown wide. “Hey it’s okay…” She chimed. It sprinted off into the darkness, without looking back. Lara stood. 

‘ _I wonder what scared it off._ ’ She thought.

Another rustle in the bushes caught her attention. Lara turned to meet the noise and the butt of a rifle slammed into her face. She collapsed onto the jungle floor unconscious.

…

Lara’s head throbbed. Something… or someone had knocked her out. It wasn’t often that anything got the drop on her. She had been sloppy and distracted. Now she might pay the price for it.

Her eyes fluttered open and she realized she wasn’t outside anymore, but in a small shack. A small lantern sat across the room, giving off a dim yellow light. One of her arms was handcuffed to a chair. She immediately tried to stand with the chair but to no avail. It was bolted to the floor. 

Her free hand went to her hair to search for bobby pins. They had helped her escape the Gulag back in Siberia, but there were none in her hair. Once again, she was out of luck.

“There’s no point in that. I’ve already searched you.” A voice said. A chill went down her spine. Lara knew that voice. All too well. It was attached to the last person she wanted to see right now.

Commander Rourke stepped out from behind her and walked to the other side of the room. He looked more ‘put together’ than he did in Paititi. Gone was his Trinity uniform and in its place was a black suit, much like the one he wore in Cozumel.

Lara stood in the chair as high as she could, trying to grab hold of him. The restraint on her arm prevented her from getting very far. She clawed like a wild animal at nothing but air. There was no point.

“Bastard!” She screamed. Her free hand slammed onto the table.

Rourke simply took a step backwards and smiled. It was the most wicked smile she had ever seen. She would love nothing more than to wipe it off his face. Preferably, done with a climbing axe lodged in his temple. 

“No need to be like that, Lara. I’m not here to fight you this time.” He said.

Lara settled back into the chair. While she was cuffed, she might as well save her energy. “I don’t care why you’re here! When I get out of this, I’m going to fucking kill you for what you did to Unaratu…”

“What the Queen? I was on orders from Dominguez. So, you’ll have to take that up with him. I hadn’t planned on getting involved with the Paititians at all. But he has other ideas.”

She scoffed. Did he really expect her to believe this? Lara had taken out enough Trinity cells over the past year to know exactly how they worked and why. Rourke wasn’t going to fool her. She was too smart for that.

“Bullshit Rourke! I know you’re not Dominguez’s lapdog. You killed Unaratu of your own volition, and you had Ana killed! You’re a coward. You couldn’t even face me yourself last night because you know you would have lost.”

Rourke pulled the other chair out from under the table and sat down across from her. His head titled to check her out further. He ignored her taunts.

“It must hurt, doesn’t it Lara? To watch everyone you care about die because of your mistakes? First it was Conrad Roth, your friend Sam shunned you, then it was that Prophet, and now Unaratu. It seems anyone caught with you ends up dead.”

All at once every one of those faces flashed through her mind. Jacob's was the one that stayed there. That’s why she brought the jacket he gave her everywhere. She thought it might ease her guilt. Everyone else had died inadvertently from her actions. Jacob had died because she destroyed the Divine Source. _She had made that choice._ If she had just left well enough alone Jacob would be alive right now.

_‘No, you can’t think like that Lara.’_

Thinking like that caused all this apocalypse mess. She had taken that dagger because she had felt responsible for leading Trinity there. It had been an ‘emergency’. Feeling guilty wouldn’t help her right now. Reyes had once said something similar to her on Yamati though. Maybe they were both onto something.

She gritted her teeth and snatched her arm at the cuff. “Don’t you dare say their names! You don’t know what happened there.”

Rourke crossed his arms. His smile faded for some reason.

“Actually, I do. I’ve been studying you for a while now, Lara. Ever since you left the island. Ana and Dominguez had wanted to recruit you from the start. If it had been up to me, you’d have been dead a long time ago. But the more I’ve studied you, the more I’ve come to respect you. That first time I saw you in Cozumel, I hadn’t expected you to be so _pretty_.”

A small chill went down Lara’s spine. It was strange to hear something like that from her enemy. Especially, someone as disgusting as Rourke.

He continued. “Dominguez said Richard Croft was bookish, I thought his daughter would be the same. I was expecting some rich sniveling brat with glasses just like her father. Instead you turned out to be more ruthless than some of my best men.”

“Well, I’m sorry that I disappoint.” She hummed.

What was she doing? It had come out more _flirtatious_ than she meant for them to be. That’s why she usually didn’t stick to sarcasm. It never came out quite right. Besides, there was always a bigger problem coming and she didn’t have time to make jokes. There was just something about Rourke though that brought out the worst in her.

“On the contrary. I was more impressed than anything. I understand Dominguez’s obsession with you. Even if your methods are a little, _unorthodox_.”

Lara scoffed. “So, is that why I’m handcuffed to this table? Trinity wants to recruit me yet again… Well you can go fuck yourself Rourke! I’ll never join Trinity. You’ll have to try to kill me first.”

“Try to kill you? Oh Lara.” Rourke laughed. That sick smile came back. “I’ve tailed you for the entire day, all around this mission, and you and Maiava were completely clueless. If I wanted you dead, you would be. And I never said _I_ wanted to recruit you. I need your help with something.”

Lara didn’t know if she should laugh at him or cuss him out again. The last thing she was going to do is help Rourke. He was a sick man with probably an even worse agenda. She didn’t want to know what that agenda was, especially since he’d called her pretty.

“I’m never going to help you.” She hissed.

“Not even if I wanted your help to stop Dominguez?”

Her eyes grew wide. He couldn’t mean that. It was just another trick to recruit her into Trintiy, despite what he said. “I’m not falling for that. You would never betray Dominguez…”

“You’re wrong, Lara. I know all about you, but you know _nothing_ about me. My loyalty lies in Trinity not Dominguez. He wants to use the box and knife to protect Paititi. Imagine what happens in this new world he makes with the box. What will happen to everyone like you and me?” He said.

Lara knew the answer: they wouldn’t exist. Anyone that wasn’t Paititian, or part of the Cult wouldn't be around anymore. So many people would die if Dominguez wasn’t stopped, rebel Paitians and outsiders alike.

“Like you would do any different!”

Rourke shook his head. “Even though Trinity had plans to evacuate Cozumel, I was still against taking the dagger. I recommend blowing the temple straight to hell. For the power to be buried once and for all. The Divine Source was one thing, but the apocalypse is something different.”

Lara couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Trinity actually had a plan to save that village? She had fucked up even more than she thought.

“So, you want to restore the sun, not remake the world?” She asked.

“I want to stop Dominguez from turning this world into Paititi. If that means restoring the sun, then yes.”

Lara searched his eyes for any signs of a lie, but there were none. It seemed that Rourke truly meant what he said. He was slightly right though. The world would kind of suck if it was all Paititi.

“How do I know that if I help you, you won’t try to remake the world to your liking anyways?”

“You don’t. But if you want to defeat Dominguez, I’m your only option.” He said.

She rolled her eyes. “That won’t happen. Even if I did help you, you’re a coward who will cut and run the moment things get tough. What’s the sudden change of heart anyways? I thought you believed in the ‘oath’ of Trinity?”

“Between you and me Lara, I don’t care about ‘the oath’ or believe in God or any of that bullshit. I’m in Trinity because I like to shoot people, simple as that. U.S. Special Forces had grown too easy for me. I needed a new challenge. Trinity provided that. And you have been my greatest challenge so far.”

“Why the hell are you telling me all this?” She asked.

“Because I need you to trust me. And from what I know about you, the more information you know about something, the more confident you feel in a decision.”

Rourke was right. He really had been studying her all this time. She couldn’t help but wonder what else he knew and to what extent.

“Save your breath, Rourke. You can give me your whole life story and I still won’t work with you. Let alone trust you.”

He sighed. “When you find the box, Dominguez and I will be waiting. I’ll give you one last chance to help when that time comes. I hope you make the right decision.”

He stood and buttoned his jacket. He pulled a key from his pocket and dropped it on the floor beside him. It hit the wood boards with a clank.

“Your gear is stashed outside. Oh, and I assume you’ll be able to get out of the cuffs by the time I’m gone.” He gestured to the key. “Goodbye, Lara. I’ll see you soon.”

Rourke strode by her and out the door, disappearing into the night. She hadn’t even tried to attack him. She was still left speechless by his offer. She couldn’t trust Rourke. But if there was a chance that they could stop Dominguez, shouldn’t she take that chance?

Lara took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. This was going to be a lot more complicated than she thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a reminder of slight canon divergence :)

It all happened so quickly.

“Lara, go!” Jonah shouted.

She watched as Jonah scooped up the box of Ix Chel and took off in the other direction. Lara’s mind went on autopilot. She grabbed onto the rifle of the goon next to her and snatched it away. The butt of the rifle slammed into the man’s forehead.

Dominguez had already retreated along with his men. Lara raised the rifle at Rourke but as soon as the sights lined up, she hesitated. Something stopped her. Damn it. She slung the rifle over her back and charged at Rourke.

“Rourke!” She yelled.

He turned to face her moments before she tackled him to the ground. The back of his head slammed into the tile. A grunt escaped his lips. Lara straddled him and her fist collided with his face. She drew her knife and thrust downwards. Rourke caught her hands to stop the knife from impaling him.

“It doesn’t have to be this way, Lara.” He grunted.

She forced the knife down further towards his chest. It brushed against his uniform before he freed one hand and punched her in the gut.

Lara grunted and fumbled with the knife. With another hit to her gut, she was tossed across the room. She quickly scooped up her knife again and got on her feet. Rourke quickly got to his feet as well.

“Come on, Lara. Put that knife away, and you and I will walk out that door. We’ll get the box back and stop Dominguez together.”

She scoffed. “Like hell we will.”

She slashed at Rourke again with the knife. He sidestepped it with ease. When she slashed again, Rourke caught her arm.

“Last chance.” He said. 

Lara responded by delivering a swift punch to his face. A cracking sound came from it and blood splattered on her. Rourke staggered back. That was enough time to slip away. She holstered her knife and took off.

“Croft!” He screamed.

She scurried up a wall and onto the second floor. There were several Trinity guards below, Rourke wasn’t with them. He had probably taken another route to go hunt for Jonah. Lara grabbed hold of the edge and dropped into the grass below. She drew her knife again. This wasn’t anything she hadn’t handled before.

One of the Trinity goons pulled out his radio. “Commander Rourke?”

“Keep this channel clear!”

 _‘Even through the radio, his voice is annoying as hell.’_ Lara thought.

“But sir, we’re hearing disruption to our Northwest.” The soldiers began to panic. They never knew what to do without the leadership of their precious Commander. It would only make it easier on Lara’s part.

“The situation is being handled. I say again, keep this channel clear. Rourke out.”

This was going to be easy, almost too easy. Lara took down all the soldiers and proceeded forward. She found a small patch of mud and covered herself from head to toe. It didn’t help much to protect her from the thermal goggles, but it was better than nothing. She squeezed through a hole in the wall, and Rourke’s voice came over the radio again.

He really knew nothing about keeping the channel clear.

“This is Rourke. Jonah Maiava has the box and Lara Croft was last seen in the church. Find them!”

Lara dispatched the rest of the men without breaking a sweat. Trinity hadn’t really made anything a challenge for her. She felt as if they had thrown more at her in Siberia, and half of those men had been contractors, not real soldiers. She was almost disappointed at their lack of effort. Although, after taking on that helicopter while swarms of enemies came at her, these morons in thermal goggles were nothing.

After she had looted the last body for ammo, Lara climbed a gate and fell into some shrubs. There were more Trinity soldiers patrolling.

“Cane field, all units. Priority one, find Lara Croft.” If only Rourke would shut up, then she could actually focus on the task at hand. “Croft, I know you’re out there.”

Great, this was directed at her now. “I came to you for help and you’ve decided to go around taking out my men instead. I thought you would come to your senses, but maybe I should’ve had you killed in Siberia after all.”

Lara hissed to herself. She didn’t need to let Rourke get in her head. He was a liar and a murderer. There was no reason to accept his offer for help. He would betray her anyways. She needed to focus on finding Jonah, and the box. That was priority one. Anything Rourke said didn’t matter.

She continued so stalk through the bushes, taking her time to knife every soldier so she wouldn’t be spotted. Once again, the men went down with ease. She sprinted up towards the ruined building.

Rourke came over the radio again. “Cardinal six, we’ve got visual on Croft. She’s at the distillery.”

Another attack helicopter floated over her. At least five men slid down ropes to her location. There was no avoiding them this time. Lara drew her VICAR MK II off her back and went to work. A hail of bullets went back and forth. One man got to close to her, so Lara drew her shotgun. The blast hit the man and sent him flying backwards.

A few of the men began to cluster in one spot. She grabbed a bottle from off the ground and shoved a piece of cloth in the opening. She lit the cloth on fire and sent it flying. Two men got caught in its range and burned into a fiery pulp. The last two men, she took down with her rifle.

“I’m gonna ask you again, Croft. Give the word and I’ll tell my men to back off. We can use the box together.”

Lara snatched the radio off her belt. “Fuck you!”

Another noise came over her radio from another channel. This time though, it was Jonah. “Lara, I’m in a chopper! I’ve got a pilot!”

“What?” She asked.

“Hurry!”

Without questioning him further, Lara sprinted up the stairs of the distillery. She pried open a gate with her axe and sprinted down the corridor.

“Give me that box!”

Shit. She was too late. Trinity had gotten the box first.

“No!” Jonah shouted.

She watched as Jonah was kicked from the helicopter and his body smacked against the ground. She immediately sprinted to his side. 

“Are you okay?” She asked.

He nodded and groaned. “I’m okay.”

Lara looked up at the helicopter to see none other than Dominguez above her… holding the box. She had failed. There was no telling what Amaru would do with that box. But… she didn’t see Rourke in the chopper with him.

“Jonah!” Abby appeared and sprinted to their side. The two women helped him get to his feet. 

“What the hell were you thinking?” Lara asked.

“If I were you it would have worked.” He shrugged.

His words felt like a knife in her gut. She didn’t know what to say to that. Jonah wasn’t exactly wrong, but it wasn’t something she wanted to hear. Lara didn’t believe herself to be as skilled as everyone claimed. She was just _lucky_. Or, at least that’s just what she told herself.

Her concern for Jonah, had distracted her from what was about to happen. Ash began to reign in the sky. Balls of fire flew in the air, almost looking like clouds. And she watched as Dominguez’s chopper quickly flew away. She could still do something.

“They might not get far.” She said.

Both Jonah and Abby agreed, reassuring her that they could take care of themselves. Lara jogged out to the road. The helicopter had slowed down. She could reach it.

Another strong burst of wind caught her attention. A second Trinity chopper appeared almost out of nowhere. And none other than Commander Rourke leaned out from the side of it.

He lowered down a rope from the chopper. “This is your last chance, Lara! You can come with me now to put an end to this. Or, if you survive this eruption, I’ll have my men hunt you to the ends of the Earth!”

Lara took at least two seconds to think it over. She did want to stop Dominguez, but she wouldn’t do it with Rourke’s help. She would never be able to trust him.

“I’ll stop Dominguez and restore the sun, without you! Go to hell, Rourke!” She shouted.

Rourke shook his head and snatched the rope up. She couldn’t make out what he said, but it probably wasn’t pleasant. She watched as his helicopter flew off in the same direction as Dominguez’s.

Lara looked back, only to see a devastating mudslide coming towards her. Her eyes grew wide. It was happening again, another cataclysm. All her fault.

“Shit!” She cursed.

Lara turned back and took off. She sprinted as fast as her legs could carry her. The mud quickly enveloped her and the world around her collapsed.

Buildings fell, roads cracked, and the ground gave way beneath her. Lara was able to jump and grapple past every obstacle. When she got towards the end of the city, she saw her window. Dominguez's chopper was still flying low. She leaped off the roof of a building and threw her grapple axe at anything it might attach to.

It grabbed onto nothing but air and Lara plunged into the dark waters below. There was debris everywhere in the water that threatened to pull her down. She flailed her arms to break through the surface of the water. She grabbed hold of a piece of metal and collapsed onto it.

Lara watched as the two choppers flew away, unharmed. Amaru had the box. He could now remake the world in his own image. She had failed. And another town was destroyed as well. Lara gripped the debris tighter and choked at the scene around her. This whole village had been destroyed. Hundreds, if not thousands of people were dead. If maybe she had worked with Rourke, this wouldn’t have happened…

It was too late now though. She needed to get back to Paititi and warn Etzli. But for a moment, she could let the blood-stained waters take away her tears. Lara was determined to never let anything like this happen again...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone enjoyed. This was probably my favorite mission in the game, (not just bc Rourke had a big part in it). I also tried to establish some of the game mechanics in this chapter, like her throwing the Molotov cocktail. 
> 
> Also, I really like writing Lara because she had a lot of guilt that is interesting to tap into. I've never written anyone that feels as deeply as she does, but then can also turn off those feelings on a dime when necessary. 
> 
> Thanks everyone for reading❤❤


	3. Chapter 3

_“We keep the sun, but you remove the shadow.”_

Those words Etzli told her, were still ringing in her ears. She didn’t truly understand what it meant until now. This wasn’t just about removing the Shadow, it was about removing Trinity from Paititi, forever. So, that the Paititians could be truly independent. 

But as Lara watched the sun slowly becoming covered in darkness, she only wished Unaratu was here. Unaratu had been so strong, much stronger than she was. This was supposed to be her destiny, not Lara’s. She almost thought of the woman as her own mother. She didn’t want to do this without her, but there wasn’t really a choice. She was going to have to.

Lara tucked away the serpent mask that had rested in her hand. In Kitesh, she had once had the advantage. Trinity had been following in her footsteps. But now, this was Trinity’s kingdom. Even with the Paititians by her side, this would still be a challenge.

Dominguez had managed to slip through the rolling door. She would have to find another way around. There were Trinity soldiers in front of her. She would have to go through them first. She dove behind cover.

Bullets reigned down around her. Everything else began to catch on fire. The Yaaxil began to attack Trinity.

A voice came over the radio.

“This is Commander Rourke. All remaining units hold the perimeter. Repeat, it is imperative that you hold the… They’ve breached the gate!” He yelled.

Oh no. Rourke was already here. He’d only tried to contact her once more after what happened in San Jaun. An offer that she had completely ignored. At the time, he had distracted her while she was taking on the Nahual.

Now, she couldn’t let her focus slip again. She drew her VICAR off her back and quickly dispatched two men that came her way. Another man charged for her but a Yaaxil stabbed him in the throat before he could get to her. It seemed that they thought she was Ix Chel after all. In hindsight, she felt bad for killing all of those in the cenote and in the tombs.

“Gentleman. Do not let the enemy through. Hold them at all costs!” Rourke said.

Lara rounded the corner and a chopper flew overhead. It shot at her and she ducked behind a wooden border along with a few of the Yaaxil. Once it flew away, she kept going forward. Only to find Rourke… in a tank. He manned a turret, blasting everything in sight.

She took cover once again. Rourke took fire at her. Shit. She needed to put a stop to this. Something else came over the radio, not from Rourke. It took her by surprise.

“This is Zeta team; the high council is being overrun! We need backup…” The man’s voice faded into loud gurgling noises. He probably caught the sharp end of a Yaaxil. Another voice came on. “The High Council’s been slaughtered. Dr. Dominguez we need your orders!”

“Dominguez betrayed the High Council! We can’t get in contact with Rourke!”

Lara continued to shield herself from the reign of bullets.

“What? Then who the fuck is in charge?”

“I don’t care. Everyone’s dead! Just get the fuck out of here!” The soldier’s voice pierced even through the radio.

Lara took her own radio off her belt. This was worth a shot. She might not get past that tank if she didn’t.

“Just give it up Rourke! Trinity is crippled. Leave and I’ll let you live!” She shouted.

The shooting faltered for just a moment, at least off her position. It quickly resumed when more Yaaxil moved towards him.

“Not gonna happen Croft! I gave you a chance to team up, it’s too late for that now.”

Lara gripped her radio tighter. She should just kill him. He was an obstacle in her way of stopping Dominguez. But something continued to stop her.

She heard a large growl and turned to see the Crimson Fire crawling over the wall. At least ten Yaaxil followed behind her. She bounded forward towards the tank. With another leap, she was up onto the tank.

The shooting stopped. Lara jumped up from behind cover. “Shit.” She whispered.

She heard Rourke scream. That wasn’t good. She needed to stop this. Rourke still might be useful to her. The Crimson Fire was about to kill him when Lara drew her pistol. She fired a flare round over the wall. It covered the whole area in a bright red glow. All of the Yaaxil became entranced and ran off after it. The Crimson Fire nicked Rourke on the throat before running away.

“Great.” Lara cursed.

Rourke collapsed into the tank. With the threat gone, she sprinted over and climbed on top of the tank. She aimed her pistol down at him. Rourke was sitting the floor of the tank, clutching his throat.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t blow your head off right now.” Lara said.

He tried to take a deep breath and clutched at his throat tighter. Blood seeped down onto his hand. “I can order Trinity to leave Paititi.”

“Trinity has already fallen. Your men are fleeing left and right. If you have nothing else to offer me, I guess we’re done here.” Her finger curled around the trigger.

Rourke threw a hand up in self-defense. “Wait! Lara… Some of my men will stay no matter what. I can give the order to disband them. You’ll be able to reach Dominguez.”

Lara weighed her options. It wouldn’t hurt to have a guarantee that Trinity was gone. But it would also be nice to see Rourke’s brain splatter all over the tank. Despite her anger, she chose the former.

“Fine. Then do it. Call off Trinity.” She unhooked her radio and tossed it down to him. He picked it up and looked up at her one more time. Lara raised the gun at him again in response.

She saw him sigh. It was probably difficult for him to watch his world crumble. But Rourke was a coward, he would always save himself. Lara reveled at the scene.

“All teams, this is Paladin One. I’m out of ammo and pinned down. The high council is dead. You all are relieved of duty. I repeat, you are relieved of duty. Trinity is no more.”

Rourke slumped down further into the tank. The color drained from his face. His had just threw his life’s work away. Even though Trinity was a sick group, Lara could understand how it felt to lose your obsession. It was always hard to let go, no matter how terrible that obsession was.

He looked at her. “Get me out of here, Croft.”

“The radio first.” She extended her hand. Rourke placed it in her hand. She wiped the blood off it and placed it back on her belt.

Lara looked down at him for a moment more. She couldn’t decide what to do with him. She had gotten the thing she needed from him. She could kill Rourke right now and no one would ever know. But Rourke did help her. If she killed him right now, Lara wouldn’t be any better than Trinity. She also thought back to Siberia. Jacob could have easily let his people kill her. He had every reason to. But he had showed compassion to her. Now, she could honor Jacob by paying that kindness forward. Even if it was to her worst enemy. She could always kill him later.

Lara offered her hand to Rourke. “Come on you bastard.”

He latched on her hand and let out a groan. Lara was able to pull him out of the tank and onto the ground. He propped up against one of the tires. Blood continued to spill from his neck. The Crimson Fire had clipped him pretty good, but it didn’t look fatal. She hiked her Blue Heron Tunic up her leg and ripped off a piece of her leggings.

She looked up to see Rourke staring at her. “Nice dress.” He said.

“Shut up, Rourke.” She twisted the cloth and stretched it out. She held it up to his neck. “Move your hands.”

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” He asked.

“I’ve killed half of your army. Are you really in a position to be questioning my competence?”

He sighed. “Yeah… you’re right.”

Lara pushed his hands down and wrapped the cloth around his neck. She pulled it tight and tied it in a knot. Rourke grunted at the force. It wasn’t the best bandage, but it should work for now. 

“I saved your life, now get out of here!”

Rourke grabbed her arm. “Wait, Lara. You’re going to need my help to get to Dominguez.”

She snatched her arm away. “No. I don't need your help. Just run away, Rourke! It’s the only thing you’re good at.”

Lara turned from him. She jogged past the tank and climbed up onto a ledge. The gunfire had halted but everything was still on fire. The sun had almost disappeared. She needed to get to Amaru.

“Lara! Come on, don’t leave me here. Let me help you.” Rourke hobbled over to her position.

Damn, he was persistent. This could be just a ploy to kill her. But when she looked in his eyes, she saw _fear_. And there was also a sense of loss. If letting him help her would clear his conscience, then so be it. It was that kindness that she might need to practice going forward. Once this was all over, of course. But then again, she might not live to see it.

She nodded. “Come on.”

Rourke climbed up on the ledge. He drew his sidearm. For a moment, she was expecting him to try and shoot her. But he didn’t. They weren’t necessarily enemies anymore. And it seemed that they were both good at one thing: survival.

Lara drew her bow off her back. “Let’s go.”

The Yaaxil continued to climb the walls around them. They didn’t attack though. The path ahead had crumbled. There was only a small ledge to walk on. There was no place she could climb either. Lara lead them along the ledge. It continued to crumble with each step.

A rock gave way below her. One of Lara’s feet slipped. “Oh shit!”

Rourke caught her arm before she could fall. He pulled her back up to the wall. She took a deep breath. She looked over at him and nodded. 

“Thanks…”

Lara didn’t have time to overthink it right now. With a few more steps, they were off the ledge. Another shout came from the other direction.

“Kukulkan!”

Two cultists appeared. Lara notched an arrow and took down the first one. A gunshot went off and the second man went down. Rourke had shot him. He really did have her back. He was full of surprises today.

More cultists attacked. One went after Rourke. She drew her axe and knife. She snatched the man with the axe and then plunged the knife into his throat. Blood splattered onto Rourke and the man collapsed to the ground. She lunged after the second cultist. She stabbed him twice for good measure.

Lara stood and put away her weapons. She offered Rourke help to stand. He took it. Even though he was covered in blood, he looked impressed with what she had just done. Almost smitten.

“If only you had been part of Trinity all this time. I think we would have worked well together in Siberia.”

As much as she hated to hear it, Rourke wasn’t wrong. They were probably the two most skilled people in Paititi right now. He was an ex black ops soldier, and she was well- _Lara Croft_. There’s no telling what they could have done if they had teamed up.

She scoffed. “You weren’t in Siberia.”

“Damn right I wasn’t. I wasn’t going to go freeze my ass off.” Rourke laughed. She gave him a puzzled look. It was so strange to see someone like that actually showing some semblance of happiness. “That’s why I sent Konstantin. I hated that asshole and his ‘religiosity’. You killed him, didn’t you?”

Lara found herself smiling for just a moment. “Damn right I did. You were almost next.”

He slowly exhaled. “Oh, I’m fucking aware.”

“You still might be. So, watch yourself.” She shrugged. She really could kill him later if she wanted. “Let’s keep moving.”

They continued along the path. Lara managed to take down two more cultists. Rourke had taken down another one before the man had fired at her. They came to a stop close to the pyramid. The wall in front of her was broken, and it looked climbable. She had to go it alone from here. She turned back to Rourke.

“I guess this is where I leave you.” She said.

“I suppose so. Thanks for getting me out of there.”

She nodded. “It was a one-time thing. But… thanks for your help as well.”

Rourke’s eyes lingered on her for far too long. “Look, about the Queen…”

Unaratu’s face flashed through her mind and something inside Lara snapped. No, she couldn’t handle it right now. She didn’t need his apology. She knew what he had done. The smile faded from her face. She grabbed the front of Rourke’s vest and yanked him forward. She drew her gun to show him that she meant business.

“Don’t... Don’t talk about her. Our deal is done. Now you’re going to leave Paititi and never come back. You’re not going to tell anyone about this place. And if you do, or you ever come after Jonah or I again; you’re dead. You understand?” She asked.

Rourke didn’t look afraid of her this time, despite the gun in his face. “I know when it’s time to cut and run, Lara. Trinity is over, I know that now.”

“You better not tell anyone about this place! If you-”

He interrupted. “I won’t. I have nothing to gain from hurting Paititi, or either of you. My only goal is to get the hell out of here in one piece.”

Satisfied with his answer, she lowered her gun and shoved him away. “Good.”

“I’ll head back and make sure no Kukulkan assholes get to you.”

“Even better.” She said.

Rourke drew his own gun and took off the other way. After a few steps, he turned back to her. “And Lara? Can you just make sure Dominguez doesn’t wipe us out of existence?”

She nodded. “I think I can handle it.”

Rourke smiled and gave her a small salute. “See you around, Lara.”

He turned the corner and disappeared from her sight. He had actually kept his word the entire time. That might be the most surprising thing she had seen all day. And technically she was the Goddess Ix Chel. What a fun day it had been.

Lara took a deep breath. Hopefully that was the last she would see of that man.

“Good riddance, Rourke.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided there would be a 4th chapter to this it should be finished sometime soon :) hope y'all liked. leave a comment if you want and thanks for reading.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> final chapter :)

**_6 Months After the Death of Kukulkan_ **

**_England_ **

Rain poured down outside Croft Manor. Lara sped her bike up and pulled into the garage. She shucked off her helmet and jacket. Water dripped down onto the concrete floor. Fantastic, just what she wanted to do today: get soaking wet. At least she was home now.

All she wanted was to change, rest by the fireplace, and read one of her old books. It was days like these that she loved to read to story of the white queen. It always made her feel closer to her parents. And days like this, she really needed that.

Lara wasn’t afraid of much. But sometimes, she didn’t like being in the manor alone. It was just so dark and empty. It wasn’t like her old apartment, or the dorm room she had once shared with Sam. The manor was so void of life, except for Winston. As much as she appreciated everything the butler did for her, she’d give anything to have Jonah come visit.

She opened the door to the Manor, and it was as empty as she had expected. Truthfully, she didn’t know who she was hoping to see each time she came home. It wouldn’t be Jonah or Roth or Sam or Jacob or Unaratu. They were all gone or dead. It was just her now.

That was okay, though. Because Lara focused on her pursuits. That was the only thing that mattered. She still traveled but the real ‘adventures’ and searching through tombs was put on hold for the time being. Most of her days were spent writing travel books and selling them. Not that she needed the money, but it was something to do.

She had written three so far. One for each of her adventures. There weren’t any lies in her books; it just wasn’t the whole truth. There was no way to prove the Stormguard, Deathless, or Yaaxil were even real. Let alone Himiko, or the Divine Source, or the apocalypse, god forbid. So, she might as well just stick to what she could prove. The books were mostly a collection of the documents she’d found, as well as pictures of the artifacts she’d recovered. A lot of the things she’d collected she donated to museums. So, that other people could appreciate the history. But all of the Paititi findings stayed with her. No one else needed to know that there was life to be found there.

And surprisingly, out of her books the Yamati one was the most popular. It had been Lara’s least favorite to write just because of what had happened there. It reminded her too much of Sam. But it had been important to write, at least that’s what Lara’s therapist had said. It had taken a lot of convincing on Winston’s part to get her to see a therapist again. This woman was at least better than her last one, but she still didn’t enjoy the sessions. 

Lara wandered through the halls and just realized that Winston hadn’t greeted her at the door. She had been too wrapped up in her thoughts. That was strange she hadn’t seen him yet. He always got worried when she was gone for long periods of time. Maybe he was just sleeping through the thunderstorm.

She shook her head and went up to her bedroom. She stripped off the rest of her clothes. They fell onto the ground in a wet pile. She didn’t feel like dealing with it right now. She threw on a grey sports bra and sweatpants. She also took her hair out of her ponytail. It needed to be let down to breathe every once in awhile.

Even with the fireplace on her mind, there was something she needed to do first. She roamed barefoot around the manor towards the office. There was still no sign of Winston. And the rain continued to pour outside.

When she got closer, she realized something was wrong. The door to her office was slightly cracked open. When she left, it had been closed. It’s possible that it was Winston, but he usually didn’t go in unless she was there.

Lara went on full alert mode. She snatched up a letter opener off a table. There could be anyone in her office. Her mind rattled off the possibilities. It could be someone else sent to kill her, a thief, or even another Stormguard trying to rip her apart again. While the later was very unlikely, she wasn’t too eager to find out.

She placed her hand on the doorknob. She took a deep breath and threw open the door. There was a man in the far corner, inspecting her bookshelves. Lara gripped her makeshift weapon tighter and got ready to pounce.

“Who the hell are you?” She asked.

The man didn’t turn to her. His eyes were fixated on the box of Ix Chel. He ran his hands over the surface. “I remember when you and I once tried to kill each other over this box. Look at it now, just an overpriced paperweight.”

Once again, Lara knew immediately who that voice belonged to. Rourke stepped towards her. He looked a lot different than he did in Paititi. Gone was the bulletproof vest and in its place was a leather jacket and jeans. His hair also looked longer too. It was strange to see him this way. He looked almost like a normal human being.

“Hey Lara.” He said.

Her jaw clenched. “Rourke. What the hell are you doing here? I told what would happen if you ever showed your face again.”

Rourke threw his hands up in submission. “I’m not looking to cause trouble. I just wanted to talk to you.”

Lara’s hand stayed gripped around the letter opener. She should just kill him right now. That’s what she had said in Paititi. But Lara quickly decided against it. Killing mercilessly out in the jungle, she could get away with. But not here. Especially when she owned a bunch of firearms that were illegal to begin with. She didn’t need the law showing up at her door.

“Where’s Winston? Did you kill him?” She asked.

He shook his head. “The butler? God no. Why would I?”

“I don’t know Rourke, maybe because it’s in your nature! If you didn’t kill him, then how did you get in here?” She still wasn’t convinced that Winston wasn’t tied up hostage somewhere. Or, maybe even trapped in the freezer. That was the only place with no windows.

“Pretty easy. I just talked to him. I told him I was one of your college boyfriends and that I was here to reconcile with you.” Rourke shrugged. He took a step closer to her. She could see him a little more clearly. His beard was a lot thicker and there were black circles under his eyes. Rourke looked like shit, but he didn’t act like a threat.

Lara relaxed and put away the letter opener. Damn it, Winston. She loved that old man dearly, but he was clueless sometimes. God bless him.

“So I guess he thought you were Kurtis, huh?” 

Kurtis had been the only boy she had dated during her time at UCL. The only boy she had _ever_ dated and most likely her last. He had been part of her ‘exploring’ phase. By exploring, she meant her goth phase. She had been obsessed with dark lipstick. Thankfully, Sam had set her straight. That style was just not for her anymore.

“I guess so. He seemed really happy when I told him. He said that you haven’t had any visitors here in the past six months.” Rourke sat down on the edge of her desk.

Lara walked over to the desk and motioned him off. To which he obliged. He paced around the center of the room. Lara turned on a lamp so she could fully see her intruder. His stance didn’t indicate that he was here to fight. Maybe she needed to relax a little.

“Well, Rourke. There’s a reason for that. I don’t like visitors. Especially, unexpected ones. Now, why are you here?”

“I needed to show you something.”

She scoffed. Like that wasn’t obvious. Rourke was such a pain in the ass. He didn’t seem to be the brightest sometimes. She couldn’t help but wonder if he had gotten into positions in his life just off his looks and silver tongue, not merit. While he wasn’t her type, she could imagine her old friend Steph giggling over Rourke’s stature. He wasn’t terribly unattractive. Rourke stood a little over six feet tall and was well fit. But Steph had thought Whitman ( _may he burn in hell_ ) was attractive so… her judgement had always been worthless.

“And you couldn’t have found my phone number first? Or maybe sent a letter?”

Rourke took a step closer to her. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a sheet of paper. “It was urgent, and I needed to show you this. Someone is trying to hire me.”

He handed her the paper. It was a letter addressed to a _D. Rourke,_ and at the top it read: _Natla Technologies_. From what she could tell, this company dealt in archaeology. They were looking to hire Rourke as a mercenary to protect a woman called, Jacqueline Natla. She gave the paper back to him.

“So, what does that have to do with me? You’re free to take whatever job you want. I don’t do that kind of thing anymore.” She said.

A puzzled look crossed his face. “You clearly do, Lara. I’ve read all your books. Even though they don’t seem accurate, you still have a knack for this sort of thing.”

Her hands curled into fists. “Of course, they’re accurate! Bastard… But I can only write about what I can prove. There’s no way to tell the world about what happened in the Serpent City. Nor, should they know…” She hissed.

Rourke ran a hand through his hair. He seemed more frustrated than he had ever before. Even that night in San Juan when she was handcuffed, he had been calm and collected. Lara definitely didn’t forget about that shitty thing he did, but she could set it aside for now. Rourke had come to her for help, knowing the risk she might blow his head off. She should hear him out for a moment. It might be important.

“Well somebody knows! They know about Trinity and they know that you and I were both there.”

Lara took a second to think. Trinity knew that she had been there, and they had known that Rourke was. No one probably knew that they had worked together. She hadn’t even told Jonah about their little team up.

“But how would they? All of Trinity fled or died. Unless…”

He took a step towards her. His eyes had turned fearful like they did in the City of the Serpent. “Unless this Natla woman had implants inside Trinity.”

“… And now she’s hiring up all the ex-Trinity operatives she can find. Shit.” Lara said.

Lara had just gotten rid of Trinity too. It had been a peaceful six months. Now, this woman was trying to create her own ‘Trinity’. But that wasn’t her problem. The organization that killed her father was gone. She had also killed the man that ordered his execution. It wasn’t her fight anymore.

“What are we going to do?” Rourke asked.

“We? There’s no _we_ Rourke. You and I fought together one time. That doesn’t make us partners or friends. If you want to work for this Natla woman, then by all means go ahead. It doesn’t concern me.”

Lara turned back to her desk and he grabbed her arm. Anger flared up in her eyes and she gritted her teeth. “Grab my arm one more time, and see what happens.”

He immediately let go, stumbling away from her. She wiped her arm off in disgust. It seemed Rourke was truly terrified of her after all. She had sensed it when he had been ‘called back to base’ at the Porvenir Oil Fields. That was a good thing. She could use it against him.

“Look, Lara I’m sorry. But it should concern you. Imagine what this woman could do with all Trinity’s secrets!”

“Secrets that you would give her as well! You were Trinity’s second in command. What else had Trinity been looking into that this woman might want?”

Rourke sighed. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Thor’s hammer…”

Her eyes grew wide. “Thor’s hammer! Bloody hell…”

Lara didn’t know why she was surprised. There had been crazier things that had been real. Hell, the God Kukuklan was real. It wasn’t too far-fetched that the legend of Thor was real as well. It was just strange to think about, considering that Winston had bought her tickets to the cinema a while ago and Thor was in that. It seemed that life was going to imitate art.

“This woman cannot know how close we were to finding it.” He said.

She shook her head. “If you’re the only one who knows, then just don’t work for her. She’ll never find out. It’s not like she can make you.”

“No, you don’t understand! You…” Rourke sat down in the chair in the far corner. He buried his face in his hands. Lara stood there, paralyzed. What was happening? She didn’t know what to do.

The man who was once her mortal enemy, was now having a breakdown in her home. This hadn’t been what she was expecting today. He stayed like that for a moment more before propping his elbows on his knees. Something in his eyes changed. It went from fear to desperation.

“How do you stop, Lara? How do you live here and not go insane? Because every day for the past six months, all I could think about is how I much I missed it. That I’d rather be up to my waist in mud hunting creatures and shooting everything in sight, rather than be back in the normal world.”

He looked up at her, pleading for answers. Lara didn’t even know how to help him. Nor would she, truth be told. He hadn’t exactly been a saint all this time. But still, it made her uneasy to see him like this.

“I know everything I’ve done is shitty, but without Trinity… I don’t know what to do with my life. I recently made a promise to someone that I wasn’t going to hurt anyone else. I know if I don’t stop, I’ll take the job from Natla. And I’ll probably have the same role as I did in Trinity and I’d hurt more people… Do you miss it?” He asked.

Who did he make a promise to? Maybe a family member or a woman he loved. Not that it really mattered. Lara took a moment to think about his last question. Did she miss being waist deep in mud hunting creatures? Not really. The Deathless and the Stormguard, definitely not. No, she didn’t miss that. For her it wasn’t about the killing. 

She did miss the adventure. She missed solving riddles and finding artifacts. The climbing too. Her axes had sat on the shelf for half a year. They were itching to be used. It was those little things that bugged her. Sometimes she felt as if she didn’t belong in the manor.

Lara took a deep breath. “Yeah, Rourke. I do miss it. That’s why I write my books, to keep myself sane. Even a little bit. I understand how you feel.”

She could not believe the words that were coming out of her mouth. They tasted disgusting. This was the man she had once threatened to skin alive over the radio. Now, they were sharing their horrors with one another.

“I guess you do. We put you through the goddamn ringer back in the day.”

Lara came in front of the desk and sat down. She crossed her arms across her chest. Where had Rourke’s change of heart come from? Six months ago, he’d been find with slaughtering anyone her came in contact with. There had to be a reason and it wasn’t because she had saved his life.

“Who was this person you made a promise to? Was it a woman?”

Rourke looked up at her with shame. Another thing she’d never thought she’d see from him. It was a stark contrast to the murder that had once been in his gaze.

“Yeah… It was a woman. After I got back, I thought we could reconcile things. She’d always said I was never honest with her. So, I was this time I told her everything. Now, she wants nothing to do with me. She thinks I’m a monster… I guess that’s what I really am.”

Lara understood what that felt like too. She never knew what her feelings for her best friend had truly been. If it had been just friendship or something more. But it didn’t matter now. She had sealed her heart away. It seemed that she and Rourke weren’t so different after all.

She sighed. “I’m sure Trinity already knew, but I don’t talk to my best friend Sam anymore. After Yamati, she was scarred. I mean we all were. But Sam was different. She’d literally had a goddess’s spirit living inside her. No one can really come back from that…”

Tears threatened to form in her eyes. No, she couldn’t cry over this. Let alone in front of Rourke. 

“I saved her life so many times, but yet she still blames me. And I’m not angry at that. She can blame me all she wants. But her doctors… they won’t let me see her. She’s in a psych ward. I go there once a month to see if she wants to talk, but she never has. It’s been years since I’ve seen her face…”

Lara quickly wiped her face. That was not going to happen.

“I’m sorry…” Rourke whispered.

“No. I don’t want your pity! I’m going to ask you again, why the hell did you come to me?”

He stood up from the chair. “I want you to hire me. I can be your partner. You and I can figure out what Natla is searching for, and find it first.”

She took a moment to consider his offer. While she had enjoyed the calm of the last six months, her heart longed for adventure. To be outside in a hostile environment and to be neck deep up in shit. She could almost smell the ash from the explosions that usually followed. Her heart beat a little faster just thinking about it. But she couldn’t. That life was behind her. Her therapist had told her that books were her adventures. She couldn’t do what she had done before. She couldn’t kill anyone else.

“I’m sorry, Rourke. I can’t do that. That’s not a part of me anymore.”

“Lara… please reconsider…”

She sighed. “No. You can go work for this woman if you want. I don’t care what she does. Just please don’t drag me into it…”

A look of disappointment crossed over his face. His eyes moved to the ground. Once again, he looked like a wounded puppy. How was this possible? He had once called her cockroach that wouldn’t die. Now it seemed that Rourke was the cockroach that wouldn’t leave her alone.

“I understand… I promise I won’t work for Natla. I’m sorry that I came here. Goodbye, Lara.”

Rourke gave her one last look and opened the door to the office. Something in Lara’s stomach churned. Oh no. What was she about to do? She wished she could be heartless more often.

“Rourke, wait…” Goddamn her. She was inwardly cursing herself for what she was about to do. “I suppose I could find something for you to do. You were ex-special forces. I’m sure you could find someone to supply me with firearms? Under the radar of course.”

He stepped back inside and nodded. “Yeah I could find someone for that. Wouldn’t be an issue at all.”

Lara smiled. “Good. Oh, and what do you know about _dual wielding_?”

His head perked up. He gave her a strange look. “Dual wielding? I know a thing or two.”

Lara had started practicing with Roth’s pistols last month. While she loved the bow, it didn’t always travel well. Her shotguns and rifles were also too heavy sometimes. She figured adding a second pistol was a logical next step. The more bullets she got off at once, the better. 

Her technique was still a little sloppy and she could probably figure it out herself. But Lara was smart enough to take outside advice when possible. Maybe Rourke knew something that Roth hadn’t taught her.

“Excellent. I start my training at 8am tomorrow. I expect you to be here by then.” She said.

Rourke nodded. “See you then.”

He was halfway out the door before she stopped him again. “Oh, and Rourke? One last thing… You ran away at Porvenir didn’t you?”

That question had been burning in her mind for a while. If they were going to be partners, she might as well get some answers.

Rourke gave her one last smile. “Damn right I did.”

He turned and disappeared through the door. She felt herself holding her breath until she heard his footsteps fade down the stairs.

‘ _What have you done Lara?_ ’ She thought.

Lara felt her head spinning. She let her eyes roam across all her collections in this room. She saw them every day, but these were still the items that were most important to her. Her bows hung above the safe. She hung her recurve bow from Yamati and her black and orange compound bow from Siberia. She’d used that one a lot. During her time there she’d nicknamed it ‘Death’s Breath’ to herself.

The Atlas and Box of Ix Chel sat on her bookcase. Rourke had been right about those things. She had once killed for the Atlas and the Silver Box. And now they just sat in her office, without a purpose in the world.

On her desk, she’d put away the picture of her parents. It was too painful to look at sometimes. As much as she would always treasure them, she had to let it go. In its place sat a picture of her, Jonah, and Abby at their wedding. They had gotten married in Kuwaq Yaku about three months ago. Lara had been the best man. It ended up being a short, but sweet ceremony. Afterwards, there was a party in Paititi thrown by Etzli. That boy had grown so much. He was much stronger than she had ever been at that age.

Her mind kept wandering back to why she had hired Rourke. He seems like he's changed, but did that truly matter? He was a terrible person… but then again so was Lara. She had brutally murdered hundreds of people without a second thought. She didn’t really have room to judge anyone.

Rourke could be useful, even though he was a risk. And if there was ever a time for her to take a risk, it was now. Lara had no one else, so if it bit her in the ass, the only one to suffer would be her. Deep down though, she liked it when things bit her in the ass. That meant she got to fight her way out of it…

Lara shook her head and took another deep breath. She sat down at her desk. What did she come in here to do originally?

‘ _Oh right. I was ordering a case of Jafa cakes._ ’ She thought. A big smile spread across her face. It was the little things that made her smile now. Overall, she was just trying to do more of it. That’s the only way she could make everything right.

Lara didn’t know what her next adventure would hold. It could be filled with fighting tigers or just remodeling her kitchen. But whatever was on the horizon, she was ready to face it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who read this :) While it wouldn't happen in canon, it was still very interesting to write. Rourke could have been a complex character had he been given the chance. And yes, even tho the two of them would probably just kill each other but it was a fun AU to write them teaming up.   
> (Also the woman that Rourke speaks of I had someone else's OC in mind)
> 
> I tried to turn reboot lara into 'classic lara'. In the classics she wrote travel books to fund her adventures, as well as the dual pistols. I also threw in a bunch of other easter eggs from other tr games. The friend, 'Steph' Lara talks about was actually a character that was cut from TR13. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who read this. I hope you liked the AU :) There will be a sequel to this eventually, whether it's another solo lara/rourke, or lara multiship, or just rourke i'm not sure yet. But there will be something. So keep a lookout  
> Thanks for following this fic! <3


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